Today is Anti-Human Trafficking Day here in Thailand. Depending on where you fall on the spectrum, the term “human trafficking” might boil your blood with righteous indignation, might cause you to roll your eyes at this oft-repeated buzz-word, or might lead you to wonder what this non-intuitive term is even supposed to describe. If you’re like many North Americans, you know that human trafficking is a serious, worldwide problem, but the very vastness of it leaves you questioning what you could possibly do to be a part of the solution. We would like to help you with that. For Freedom…

Every day starts well with a cup of coffee. This particular day was no different, as I sat quietly at the coffee shop, observing the endless flow of adventuring tourists, expat regulars, and local Thais stopping in on their way to work. Holding my latte, I looked out the window and thought about what my life has been like the past 3 ½ years living in between these worlds…having the appearance of a foreigner, yet the heart of a Thai. Always ready for the next adventure with God, like a child following after their father. Yet, more than someone just…

Today is referred to as Palm Sunday, which commemorates the Gospel account of Jesus entering Jerusalem and being celebrated as the Jewish king. The people of Jerusalem took palm branches and spread them on the road before Jesus, and the crowds were joyfully shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” You see, the Jews had long been looking for the coming of their Saviour, the anointed Messiah, the one who would free the Israelites from Roman oppression and restore the…

It’s a small, big world… I am from one of the largest countries on earth. I grew up going to the biggest church of my denomination nationally and was well connected there. My city is very spread out, but I am familiar with most of it. Eight-hour weekend road trips were normal as my family lived to the east and the west of me. I was blessed with many friendships and had a large social network. Through my international travel, I even knew people around the globe. My world was big, or so I thought. Then the day came…

I swerve suddenly to avoid a pothole in the road and then squeeze in front of an overloaded pickup truck in order to pass a car that abruptly pulls into my lane. I hold my breath as an exhaust-belching tour bus lumbers past and then watch, mesmerized, as a family of four, their dog, and their groceries smoothly ride by, no helmets required. This is a typical excerpt from my daily commute via the SE Asian motorbike, affectionately known as a moto. To a visiting tourist, the traffic here in Thailand looks chaotic, leaving many tourists (dangerously) thinking there are no traffic rules…

Suddenly, everything went black. My eyes fought to adjust to the darkness, but nothing came into focus, not even my out-stretched hand mere inches from my face. All sight stripped away, I stood, unable to move. After receiving an invitation to join the Dialog in the Dark experience in Bangkok, I excitedly agreed, thinking it would simply give me an interesting, new perspective on the world around me. The outcome, however, was much more. Dialog in the Dark is an exhibition located around the world, where visitors are led by blind guides through a constructed, and completely darkened, space. The experience is meant to give a…

One year ago… One year ago I moved to Thailand to undertake “Gospel-centred justice and compassion work amongst women in the sex trade.” It was a simple enough statement to say to my supporters, but the reality of life and work here is nowhere as simple as I had expected. Expectations are weighty and dangerous things, and I found that my expectations upon arriving in Thailand only added extra layers of confusion to trudge through in this unprecedented year of trying to get my bearings. Below are three of the realities I’ve had to embrace in order to understand myself…